


Once Upon A Time...

by lukeisfobaf (polie121900)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, fairy tale AU, prince/kitchen boy au, princes au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 03:50:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3595230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polie121900/pseuds/lukeisfobaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know the classic fairy tale. Once upon a time, a pretty girl is born, but an evil person interferes and the prince must save the pretty girl. But not all is the same in this kingdom. You see, the story indeed begins with once upon a time, yet the pretty girl is nowhere to be seen. In fact, it is a scared little boy by the name of Daniel. As for the prince, well, he's there too, but not in the exact way you would expect. Still, the two boys paths were destined to cross, at least, that's what the story says.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon A Time...

This story begins just like any other, with the classic “Once upon a time”.

Well, you see, it was once upon a time, in a kingdom just like any other. In this kingdom lived a young lad named Daniel, the son of a poor baker. The boy had dark brown hair that generally covered his dark brown eyes, and adored the world around him. That is, up until the boy turned 9, when his father was torn away from him. Unable to pay his debt to the king, Daniels father was taken to be imprisoned, and later executed. Of course, the father knew this, but he kept it a secret from his son for as long as possible, as to not frighten him. But when Daniels father was taken away, he was forced to grow up faster than any child ever should. He was taken to the castle where the his father was to be imprisoned, and forced to work. While the king had the morals to imprison and execute a man simply for being unable to pay a tax, he had enough good morals to spare an innocent child. So Daniel was taken to work in the kitchens, where he washed dishes, the only thing the boy knew how to do. He could not read, nor could he write, but the world (not including the people) fascinated him. He tried to stay optimistic, but his hate only grew.

As for the other half of this story, as there always is one, there lived a young prince named Phillip. A common name for a prince, you see. The queen was a very old fashioned queen, and preferred the older values of royals before her over the new ones. So Phillip grew up knowing nothing of the suffering people in his kingdom went through. He knew nothing of suffering, nothing of pain, nothing of poor qualities of living and sorrow. Growing up being showered in riches and pampered by both his parents and many servants, he did not feel a hatred towards anything, let alone the seemingly perfect world his father got to run. In fact, we was quite optimistic about nearly everything. A lover of the outside world, he adored the wild flowers and the gentle animals, the kind peasants and the children they held so close to their hearts. He was a sweet, innocent prince, and every princess wished to meet him. Paired with his seemingly perfect personality and dashing looks with his dark ivory hair covering one of his blue eyes, every girl adored him. But for the time being, Phillip only wished to be outside in the sun. The idea of courting a princess, especially at the young age his parents began to pester him about it (the young age of 14), seemed rather ridiculous to him. But he loved his world and the people in it.

As it would be, Daniel and Phillip lived in the same castle, yet in the 10 years Daniel had been working in the kitchens, the two had never once crossed paths. Of course, Daniel knew about the existence of the prince, practically everyone did, but the two had never come face to face. Phillip did not even know the young kitchen boy existed. He knew somebody had been washing his china for him, but he did not ever stop to think about who, as that was generally not of any importance. In those ten years, Daniels hate continued to grow, but that hate eventually turned into sorrow. Yes, he still hated the people who had caused his father’s death, but he was sad as well. He cried so often he would vomit, then promptly hide the vomit for fear of the chef or other castle workers seeing it and taking him to see a medic. No, he would not be seeing a medic. Not then, not now, not ever. In those ten years, Daniel grew to the age of 19, and not once had he left the castle. He barely remembers the feel of fresh air, let alone the grass beneath his feet, the flowers, the animals, the people... He has faint memories of the outside world, but those faded with each passing day.

As it just so happens, the king and the queen continued to pester Phillip about courting some young princess throughout those ten years. The princess changed from year to year, the tenth year after Daniel’s arrival being a young princess by the name of Princess Catherine. The pestering grew worse every day, which, if done to anyone else, could drive a man crazy, but Phillip remained optimistic. He would greet the princess kindly, spend the day with the lass, then say a kind goodbye before going on his way. You see, he had no interest in a marriage with anyone, let alone these princesses. It was not that he disliked the princesses, rather the idea of marrying and becoming the ruler of the entire kingdom frightened him. Often times to escape his fathers pestering he would leave the castle without his fathers permission, going into a nearby forest to visit a gently running stream where the sunlight shone through the trees to illuminate the small minnows beautifully. The stream was quite a positive place for Phillip, and elicited a wonderful emotion inside him. He oftentimes visited this stream to calm down, as it was a very beautiful place to visit.

One day, after being aggressively cussed out in French by the lead chef, Daniel had felt the vomit coming up again. Tears were threatening to pour out of his eyes, and he could barely speak for he experienced a choking sensation when he attempted to speak. He could feel a panic attack coming on, and while he usually simply suffered through it, he knew for a fact he had to escape. So when the chef turned his back, Daniel made a run for the door, sprinting faster than he ever had before. While Daniel had attempted this before (simply getting caught by other kitchen workers then beaten and starved for a week), this time he felt a strange sense that he was to be successful. And he surely was. While the chef was busying himself mashing potatoes, Daniel flung the door open, rushing outside.

As his feet encountered grass, the bright sunlight shone in his eyes, the sky blue and the sun bright. It hurt his eyes, but he continued to run. His feet hurt, as his position as kitchen boy did not allow him to have proper footwear. Perhaps he was bleeding, but he didn’t stop to check. Not daring to look behind him for fear of seeing the chef or another worker of the kings, he dashed towards the entrance of the forest, which (to his understanding) didn’t hold any ridiculous people he would be forced to interact with. Reaching the entrance of the forest, Daniel ignored the extensive sharp sticks and jagged plants, dashing in. He felt immense pain, but as getting away was his only current objective, he ignored the sensation, continuing to run.

Meanwhile, Phillip was enjoying the sun while resting on the bank of his stream. He could hear something making noise deeper into the forest, but, assuming the noise was simply a woodland animal such as a white tailed doe, he ignored it, looking back into the sparkling water. Two fish swam around one another, circling each other with admiration. Phillip smiled, fascinated by how simply wonderful the life of a fish must be. He silently marveled at how wonderful nature was, and he smiled in the sun, the rays making his black hair shine in contrast to his pale skin.

Suddenly, Daniel burst into the clearing, a wild expression upon his face. A brown mess of curls covered his face, yet the hair did not disguise his clearly panicked look. He continued to run, only then turning behind him to see if anyone had been following him. Just then, due to his lack of looking ahead where he was running, his foot hit a large stick. Daniel flew forward, his eyes wide. He threw his arms in front of his face to protect himself, but to no avail. He fell forward, shutting his eyes tight. He hit a warm lump with an oof! Suddenly, a deep squeal filled the air. Daniels eyes flew open, widening in shock at the sight that befell him.

Sitting before him was the prince, Prince Phillip. And Daniel had fell upon him, his head resting in Phillips lap. Without taking a moment of thought, Daniel pushed on the prince’s chest, sending himself toppling backwards. Suddenly he felt himself falling once more, but this lasted only a moment, as Daniel hit the ground in a mere second. Water sept through Daniels shabby cloth wear, yet he did not freak. Rather, he groaned.

“Ugh.” He groaned, rolling over, having little care for his sopping wet clothes. “Falling and hurting myself twice in one day, great. Soaking my only clothes? Fan-freaking-tastic.” Rolling his eyes, Daniel rubbed his temples, groaning once more. Could this day get ANY better? He thought sarcastically to himself. Sitting up, Daniel noticed two little fish near him, swimming together. He scoffed. I wonder if they know how little time they actually have on this hell called Earth... He thought, losing himself to negative thoughts again. Standing up, Daniel began to wring out his clothes, well, what he could salvage, anyways. Turning his head, he noticed the prince once more, and froze in his tracks.

“Oh...” The prince said, offering a slightly awkward smile. “Um, hello. Uh.... um... please! Don’t let me ruin your, uh, fun? Is that the word?” He paused to think, looking about him as if he could find the answers in the air around him. “Oh, no, not at all. What exactly am I doing?” He sighed, looking down at his feet. Blushing slightly, he looked back up to face Daniel, offering the friendliest smile he could muster in his embarrassed state. “Hi.”

Daniel looked at the prince with curiosity, as if the prince were the strangest sight he had ever laid eyes upon. “Um, hello.” As Phillip opened his mouth to speak, Daniel interrupted him, which is considered a terribly rude offense, especially to an official, but Daniel had decided at a young age that he had a mind of his own, and he did as he pleased. However, this did not work out in Daniels favor, as he was simply a lowly kitchen boy who cleaned the messes of the royal family and their guests, rarely eating. Yet, being away from all the negative energy the chef produced seemed to help increase his attitude (and his uncanny ability to forget to think before taking action), so he interrupted, “Yeah, I know who you are, my lord flytrap. And no, I’m not going to bow down to you just because your father is a giant asshole, so just get that out of your head now, got it?”

Phillip paused a moment, the boys words taking effect on him. His attempted smiled faded. “I’m sorry.” He murmured, looking down at his feet. “I didn’t mean for you to think any of that, I didn’t even know you were from this kingdom.” Regaining eye contact with Daniel, he continued, “I had thought I had met everyone in this kingdom, so I assumed you were from a neighboring kingdom who did not know of my family. My apologies.”

Daniel scowled, jutting his chin out slightly. “Don’t even start with that whole I’m an innocent prince and this is just a misunderstanding please forgive me crap, alright?” He spat, rolling his eyes. “I know how awful you royal pain in the asses can be, so do me a favour and just leave me be.” And with that, Daniel turned away from the confused eyes of the prince, focusing instead on wringing out his sopping wet clothes.

The prince stayed silent, simply observing the younger boy in front of him. He tilted his head slightly to the side, watching the boy with curiosity. Just then, Daniel turned, shooting the prince a look. “What?” He spat, his expression highly aggressive. The prince said nothing, his expression not changing. Daniels face softened, and he continued in a softer voice, “Why are you being so polite to me? I’m an asshole.”

Phillip laughed. Daniel looked at the prince, his eyebrows raised slightly. “I am truly sorry, I did not mean to laugh.” Phillip said, attempting (yet failing) to keep his giggles in. “I find it quite comical how your moods can change like the weather: instantaneously. You were angry at me one moment, then confused the next? How queer!”

Daniels jaw dropped, his face holding an expression of shock and offense. “Why you little shit!” He exclaimed, scowling once more. “How do girls even fawn over you if you’re such a rude little asshole.” Looking away from the prince, he continued, “I should have known… You do come from that family, after all.”

Phillip laughed once more. “I am truly sorry if I have offended you, but, unless my teachings are wrong, which is entirely possible, queer is synonymous to strange, or odd. I did not mean to offend you in any way.” Tilting his head to the other side, the prince continued, “Perhaps queer means something different where you dwell, in which case, do enlighten me. I do love to learn new things, it is quite nice.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Ugh.” He scoffed. “You’re so do-goody.”

“Pardon me,” Phillip interjected, “but could you explain how the word queer is offensive where you are from? I would certainly like to know… Also, perhaps do-goody as well, as I have never heard the term around where I stay, back in the castle.”

Daniel crossed his arms, scowling. “Forget it.” He muttered, jutting his chin out once more like before. “It’s not anything special. Besides, I should probably get going, I’ve got, erm, duties to attend to.” Turning around, he muttered under his breath, “Anywhere is better than here with you, a royal of all people.”

“Wait!” Phillip called out. Daniel froze. “Earlier, you mentioned that those were your only clothes, correct? While you were talking to yourself, you mentioned you had ruined your only garb.” _Wow, talking to myself?_ Daniel thought. _Now I sound insane. Great._ Continuing his train of thought, the prince continued, “Maybe I could help you out with that? I’ve got a large supply of clothing back at my home, and I can surely afford to give some away. You look-”

“Sorry, but I don’t need your charity.” Daniel said, not bothering to turn around. “I’ll figure this one out on my own, thanks.”

“Oh no, I insist!” Phillip said, leaping to his feet. “Please, think of it not as a charity, rather as a gift, from me to you. An apology, you see, for startling you and causing you to fall into the stream.” Offering a kind smile, he continued, “And besides, I have far too many things. I don’t believe I deserve all of these wonderful things while equally as deserving people have none. Please, come with me.”

 _Come with him?_ Daniel thought. _Ugh, I’d rather be force fed chunks of broken swords. Of course, this is my only attire, and now that it is ruined I have no way to fully repair it. Perhaps I should just accept his gifts…? NO. Absolutely not. I refuse to wear anything coming from that damn family, I would never. No..  way._ As Dan opened his mouth to speak again, he made the mistake of turning to face the prince. There before him stood the prince, his eyes sparkling with tiny wet tears. _Uh-oh._ thought Daniel.

“Please?” Phillip asked.

 _Is…. is he crying?_ Daniel thought, looking into the prince’s eyes. _What if…. no. It can’t be… A royal who actually cares, who is a genuine nice person? No way, that’s impossible. He must be from the kitchen as for a means to fetch me, to make me willingly come back to the castle. But, unless he is a seriously good actor, he sincerely cares, I can see it in his annoyingly blue eyes. I… I have to go with him, don’t I?_ Daniel sighed. “Alright.”

The prince’s eyes lit up, a smile growing on his face. “Oh, you won’t regret this, I promise!” He exclaimed, grinning. “Sorry, I know you were doubtful, I could tell, but I promise, you’re going to be great. I’m sure I have something in your size, although you’re rather frail currently. Would you like me to make you a meal while you are getting clothes?” The two began to walk towards the exit of the forest as Phillip continued to talk. “Well, maybe thats the best idea. Anything you would like, I’m sure I could provide. Perhaps a warm bath? A hot meal? Any provisions to take home to your family? Some blankets? Medicine of any sort? I could get you checked by the medics to be sure you’re perfectly healthy if you want. What about money? Money is helpful!”

As the prince rambled on, Daniel did something he hadn’t done in a while, something that was extremely rare, as he hadn’t done it since he was nine. But with the prince rambling on about silly things, and being entirely strange, Daniel felt although he hadn’t done it in so long, he could surely do it now. You see, Daniel laughed.

 


End file.
